- At least 20 people were killed and 40 injured after two explosions during the ceremony
At least 20 people have been killed and 40 injured after two explosions rocked a ceremony held to mark the 2020 killing of top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in a US drone strike.
The first explosion was quickly followed by a second near a cemetery in the southeastern city of Kerman, where thousands of people had gathered to commemorate the four-year anniversary of Soleimani's killing.
Harrowing video footage showed dozens of bloodied victims lying on the ground as others staggered away from the blast near the Saheb al-Zaman mosque where Soleimani is buried in what was described as a “terrorist attack.”
Other video showed plumes of smoke rising into the air as thousands of people who had walked to the cemetery screamed in horror. The crowd was seen running away after the two explosions ripped through Kerman.
Thousands had gathered to mark the four-year anniversary of the brutal commander's killing when the explosions erupted near the Saheb al-Zaman Mosque.
The explosions came a day after an Israeli drone strike killed Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri in the Lebanese capital Beirut, amid fears the Middle East will be engulfed in a brutal war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously vowed to cut off “the head of the snake” and launch a military strike against Iran after the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, backed by Tehran, fired rockets into Israel.
Video showed plumes of smoke rising into the air as thousands of people who had walked to the cemetery to mark Soleimani's killing screamed in horror
The first explosion was quickly followed by a second near a cemetery in the southeastern city of Kerman, where thousands of people had gathered to commemorate the four-year anniversary of Soleimani's killing.
And now Rahman Jalali, the deputy governor of Kerman province where Soleimani is buried, said today's blasts were a “terrorist attack.”
It was not immediately clear what caused the explosions, but the Iranian newspaper reported that two bags filled with explosives were detonated remotely in the middle of a crowd.
Several people were also injured in a stampede as they tried to flee the carnage, with several ambulances rushing to the scene.
This is a breaking news story, more to come…